ANAHEIM – A documented gang member armed with a handgun was arrested Wednesday night after a shooting involving an officer in which no one was struck, authorities said.

Pedro "Peter" Lara, 23, of Anaheim was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and narcotics after a brief foot pursuit, a police statement said. Authorities say they also arrested Michael Roger Palacios, 18, of Anaheim, on suspicion of being a parolee at large and giving false information to officers, as well as an unidentified 17-year-old gang member who police say violated his probation.

Residents about 11:30 p.m. reported that several gang members were congregating in an alley in the 800 block of South Philadelphia Street, Sgt. Bob Dunn said.

As officers arrived at the scene, Lara attempted to flee on foot, running into the courtyard of an apartment complex, Dunn said.

While running, police say, Lara made a "furtive and deliberate movement toward his waistband," at which point an officer fired a round from his service weapon. No one was struck.

Police allege that Lara pulled a handgun from his waistband, threw it onto a nearby roof and then stopped running and was apprehended by the officers.

The officers recovered a loaded semiautomatic handgun from a nearby rooftop, Dunn said.

Palacios and the 17-year-old remained in the alley during the pursuit, Dunn said, and were also taken into custody.

The pursuit began about a block from where 14-year-old Jose Perez was killed in an unrelated shooting Tuesday night, Dunn said. That death has led to an increased tension between rival gangs and required police to increase patrols in the neighborhood.

Officers investigating reports of gang members exchanging gunfire in an alleyway found Perez dead of at least one gunshot wound on a sidewalk in the 200 block of East Vermont Avenue. A handgun was found near Perez's body.

Investigators identified Perez as a documented gang member, saying that he was in a rival gang's territory when he was shot. Dunn said Lara and the 17-year-old arrested Wednesday night are believed to be members of that rival gang.

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